2009 AMA US Rookies Cup canceled

MotoGP Rookies Cup season shortened

Red Bull has cancelled the 2009 AMA U.S. Rookies Cup and shortened the MotoGP Rookies Cup to eight races due to the loss of a major partner.

“At a time when companies the world over are bracing themselves for the effects of recession Red Bull has shouldered as much of the load as possible to cover both the technical as well as operational efforts of running the MotoGP Cup but there will simply not be enough spares and technical support available to keep the U.S. series at a high level in 2009,” the company stated.

The MotoGP Rookies Cup will be held over six Grand Prix events including two double headers, down from the ten races over eight events from 2008. The May 17 race at Le Mans in France and the Oct. 4 race in Estoril, Portugal have been dropped from the 2009 schedule.

The Red Bull Rookies Cup program offers young riders aged 12-17 a chance to develop their racing skills alongside the professionals on world-class race tracks riding KTM RC125 bikes. The program began with the MotoGP Rookies Cup in 2007 and added the AMA U.S. Rookies Cup in 2008.

According to the AMA U.S. Rookies Cup website, the series was “designed to create a level playing field so that the best and the brightest emerge at the top and no young talent is overlooked due to a lack of financial resources or professional backing”.